Frequently Asked Questions
General Services & Business Overview
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What services does BlendIT.Solutions offer?
We specialize in website migrations, builds, and renovations for small businesses including ecommerce, service-based, and shop front businesses in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, Yarra Valley, and Warrigal corridor. Interstate and overseas clients are also supported.
What types of businesses do you work with?
We work with small and micro businesses that are showing success or are eager to succeed, particularly those with website service budgets between $500-$5000.
What areas do you service?
We primarily serve Melbourne's eastern suburbs, the Yarra Valley, and the Warrigal corridor, offering personal meetings and on-site consultations. We are also very comfortable supporting international clients having run multi-continent corporate IT programs-of-work.
How is BlendIT.Solutions different from other web development companies?
We take a partnership approach with personal meetings, attentive listening to client needs, and we adjust our work effort to align with your budget rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions.
Do you work with businesses outside your primary service area?
While we focus on our local area for in-person meetings, we can discuss remote work arrangements for businesses outside our primary service region.
What's your experience with different business types?
We have extensive experience with ecommerce stores, service-based businesses, and store front establishments, understanding the unique needs of each business model.
How do you ensure projects stay within budget?
We work closely with clients to understand their budget constraints and adjust our approach and scope to deliver maximum value within their financial parameters.
Do you offer ongoing support after project completion?
Yes, we provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure your website continues to perform optimally after launch. We also strive to upskill our clients so they can be self-sufficient.
What makes a business ready for your services?
Businesses showing growth momentum or those eager to succeed with a clear vision for their online presence are ideal candidates for our services. Some of our clients just need a mentor to lean on.
How do you handle project communication?
We maintain regular communication through personal meetings, email updates, and phone calls, ensuring you're informed and involved throughout the entire process.
Technical Platforms & Expertise
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Which platforms do you specialize in?
Our primary expertise includes Shopify, GoDaddy, and Maropost/NETO, with secondary expertise in WooCommerce and Square platforms. With 35+ years of IT expertise we find the concepts underlying many systems such as these, are very similar and easy to master.
Can you work with marketplace platforms?
Yes, we have extensive knowledge in eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and Google Merchant Centre integrations.
Do you handle website migrations between different platforms?
Absolutely! We specialize in seamless migrations between platforms, ensuring no data loss** and minimal downtime during the transition.
** Data loss may be unavoidable and is dependant on the quality of the source systems processes.
What if my current platform isn't one you typically work with?
We assess each situation individually and can often work with various platforms or recommend the best migration path to a platform we specialize in. With 35+ years of IT expertise we find the concepts underlying many systems such as these, are very similar and easy to master.
Do you set up Google Analytics and tracking?
Yes, we implement Google Analytics, Google Merchant Centre, and other essential tracking tools to help you monitor your website's performance.
Can you integrate my website with social media platforms?
We can set up integrations with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms to enhance your online presence.
Do you work with email marketing platforms?
Yes, we can integrate email marketing solutions and help migrate your email systems (like moving from Outlook to Gmail) for better business communication.
What about mobile responsiveness?
All our website builds and renovations ensure full mobile responsiveness across all devices and screen sizes.
Do you handle SEO optimization?
We implement basic SEO best practices during development, though for advanced SEO strategies, we can recommend specialized partners.
Can you help with website hosting decisions?
Yes, we can advise on and implement hosting solutions, including migrations to more suitable hosting platforms like Shopify hosting
Pricing & Project Management
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What are your hourly rates?
Your first 1 hour consultation is free, including local travel.
Your next 5 hour block is at a rate of $100/hour + GST.
Our standard rate is then $150/hour + GST, with a 50% rate for travel time when on-site visits are required.
Do you offer fixed-price projects?
While we typically work hourly, we can provide time and materials quotes for specific projects after understanding your requirements. Due to the variables involved in web-related projects fixed-price quotes are not our preferred approach.
What's the monthl y$50 flat fee +gst for site monitoring?
This covers our monthly costs for site audit subscription services, and our advice on possible actions arising. This commences after you go-live, and is an optional service.
Do you charge for reports and recommendations?
Yes, we charge for curated reports and detailed recommendations as these require research and analysis time.
How do you handle travel costs?
Local travel time is charged at 50% of our standard hourly rate, making on-site meetings affordable while covering our travel expenses.
For travel recquiring meals, accommodation and flights, these are agreed in advance and charged at cost to the client.
What payment terms do you offer?
We typically undertake work in advance, and charge on a monthly basis for work completed. Payment terms are 14 days.
Overdue invoices incur a $50 Late Payment fee.
Invoices that are more than 6 weeks in arrears will trigger cessation of all work.
Invoices that are more than 8 weeks in arrears will trigger cancellation of any system subscriptions supportng the project.
Are there any hidden costs I should know about?
We're transparent about all costs upfront, including any third-party service fees, hosting costs, or subscription services required for your project.
You may incur additional costs is you require image or video licenses, or special features on your website or in your system eco-system requiring a subscription.
How do you estimate project timelines?
Project timelines depend on scope and complexity. We provide realistic estimates during our initial consultation and keep you updated on progress.
As with all projects, timelines are determined by the scope, the budget, and by time. Thre can be scope changes, budget limitations and staff availability issues, to name but a few.
What happens if a project goes over the estimated time?
We communicate proactively if we anticipate any timeline changes and discuss options to stay within budget or adjust scope as needed.
Do you offer payment plans for larger projects?
Yes, for projects over $5000, we can arrange milestone-based payment plans to make larger investments more manageable.
Project Process & Support
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How does the initial consultation process work?
We start with a personal meeting (in-person preferred) to understand your business, current challenges, and goals before proposing solutions.
What information do I need to prepare for our first meeting?
Bring details about your current website, business goals, target customers, budget range, and any specific features or functionality you need.
The focus of the initial meeting is as much about understanding whether we can work together in a partnership, as it is about discussing the scope and viability of the vision.
How long does a typical website project take?
Simple renovations can take 1-2 weeks, while complex migrations typically take 3-6 weeks, depending on scope and complexity.
Complete builds are dependant on the number of pages, the page content, the number of products, the number of external systems interfaces, and the availability of key business staff. Our experience has shown this varies in elapsed time from 2 to 3 weeks to 6 to 8 months.
Will my website be down during a migration?
We have extensive business change management experience. We work hard to keep you as close to 100% uptime as is possible. Where we can, we stage migration so, in the event of an unforeseen issues, you can revert to the older system while issues are resolved.
Migrating to a new site involves business process and IT system changes.
Do you provide training on how to manage my new website?
Yes, upskilling our client's so they are self-sufficient is a key objective.
The best form of training is to involve staff in the development process. They then understand what is need, but more importantly, they will understand why it is needed.
What happens if something goes wrong after launch?
We provide immediate support for any launch-related issues and can offer ongoing maintenance packages for continued peace of mind.
Can you help recover a website that's been lost or compromised?
We have recovered websites that were 'blown away' when hosting subscriptions were not paid by clients.
The level of recovery was dictated by the backup held by the clients.
Page data, such as text, images, and navigation required archived screen shots or saved files.
Product data is recoverable if 'master' data and images were available somewhere else.
Customer and Order data is often only recoverable if it has been frequently extracted e.g. to MS-Excel
Website 'recovery' may be a complete website rebuild using teh data sources noted above.
Expensive, specialised services may be able to mitigate a complete rebuild.
Do you provide content creation services?
Absolutely.
While we may not be across all aspects of your industry, by working with you and the various content generation services we utilise, we can certainly provide guidance on your content strategy and apply it to your site.
How do you handle urgent requests or emergency fixes?
We prioritise urgent issues and can often provide same-day or next-day emergency support, for critical website problems.
What ongoing maintenance do you recommend?
Regular backups, security updates, performance monitoring, and periodic content updates are essential for maintaining a healthy website.
Our monthly site monitoring service assists with identifying unexpected changes in eco-system of the world wide web.
Results & Business Growth
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How do you measure project success?
Success is measured by improved website performance, increased traffic, better user experience, and ultimately, growth in your business inquiries and sales.
What kind of results can I expect from a website renovation?
Clients typically see improved loading speeds, better mobile experience, increased search visibility, and more professional brand presentation.
Resulting in increased foot traffic or site visits. The longer they stay the more engaging your site is.
How will a new website help my business grow?
A professional, well-functioning website builds credibility, improves customer experience, and provides a platform for digital marketing efforts.
Do you help with digital marketing setup?
Yes. We can set up Google Business Profile, basic social media integrations, and Google Analytics, though we focus primarily on the technical foundation.
We can apply additional specialist tools to drive increased organic or paid traffic to your site, ... and measure it!
Can you help integrate my website with my existing business systems?
Yes, we can integrate with inventory systems, CRM platforms, accounting software, and other business tools you currently use.
Stuart, our Senior Consultant, has specialised in system integrations and business change management for nearly 40 years. This is where we excel.
What if my business grows and I need website changes?
We build scalable solutions and offer ongoing support to adapt your website as your business grows and evolves.
How do you ensure my website will attract my target customers?
We can't promise it, but we know that if we focus on the user experience, mobile optimization, fast loading times, and clear calls-to-action that appeal to your specific customer base, your probability of increased traffic from your target audience is greatly increased.
Will my new website help with local search visibility?
Yes, we implement local SEO best practices and can help set up Google Business Profile to improve your local search presence.
How do you handle seasonal businesses or changing needs?
We build flexible websites that can accommodate seasonal changes, special promotions, and evolving business requirements.
What long-term support do you provide for business growth?
We offer ongoing consultation for website improvements, new feature additions, and technical guidance as your business expands and digital needs evolve.